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Glite Dictionary
buffalo clover

buffalo clover

9.5
A plant with three small round leaves that grows in grasslands and can be poisonous to farm animals
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌf.ə.loʊ ˈkloʊ.vər/
  • US
translation icon : trébol búfalo
  • Researchers are studying how buffalo clover supports local pollinator populations.

Examples

  • Farmers should be cautious of buffalo clover in their fields.

  • The prairie was dotted with wildflowers, including buffalo clover and bluebonnets.

  • We spotted several patches of buffalo clover growing along the trail.

  • The buffalo clover grows abundantly in the Midwest.

  • The prairie was dotted with wildflowers, including buffalo clover and bluebonnets.

  • Farmers should be cautious of buffalo clover in their fields.

  • We spotted several patches of buffalo clover growing along the trail.

Synonyms

Trifolium reflexum
vsbuffalo clover
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American clover called buffalo clover that grows in open fields

has the same meaning but is the common everyday name

Surface Forms

buffalo clover singular
buffalo clovers plural

Morphology

buffalo + clover

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where the second noun names the plant and the first specifies its association (clover associated with buffalo or found in buffalo habitats). The meaning 'a type of clover related to buffalo' is directly inferable from the constituents and follows a common compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Buffalo clover probably gets its name from where it grows: this clover was common on the prairies where wild buffalo walked and fed. So today buffalo clover means a clover from those grasslands and is sometimes thought to be 'harmful to grazing animals'.